Hon Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon Members of Parliament and our guests in the gallery, everybody has spoken so well of Comrade Kgalema that I do not think I can outdo them in speaking well of him. The fact that even the opposition speak so glowingly of you, hon Deputy President, only shows how committed to the struggle and to the people of South Africa you are. Nevertheless, I have agreed to speak. I would not have agreed, but when the Chief Whip of the ANC says, "You must go and speak," I cannot say no.
As we steadily advance towards the end of the Fourth Parliament of the Republic of South Africa under the democratic ANC-led government, we in the same way pay tribute to one of South Africa's greatest sons for having lived a life of self-sacrifice for the good of his people. Hon Deputy President, the contribution you have made to this beautiful country and its people is a gift whose fruits will be relished, even by posterity. You stood for the right, and against the wrong. You led by example, and you expressed constructive criticism whenever it was absolutely necessary to do so.
Born on 19 July 1949 in Alexandra Township, to a working-class family, Comrade Kgalema spent most of his time in Alexandra Township. Much of his adult life was spent in Meadowlands in Soweto.
Today we can reveal, or disclose, that he was recruited to uMkhonto weSizwe, as hon James pointed out earlier, in the 1970s, while he was working for the Johannesburg City Council. As a result, Motlanthe formed a unit that was tasked with recruiting comrades for military training. The unit was later instructed to transform its function from recruitment to sabotage. So, you are a saboteur! [Laughter.] The unit was also involved in smuggling MK cadres in and out of the country via Swaziland.
On 14 April 1976 the members of this unit were arrested for furthering the aims of the ANC. They were kept in detention for 11 months at John Vorster Square, now known as Johannesburg Central Police Station, as somebody pointed out earlier. In 1977 Comrade Kgalema was found guilty on three charges under the Terrorism Act and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment on Robben Island.
Reflecting on life on Robben Island, Comrade Kgalema said, and I quote:
We were a community of people who ranged from the totally illiterate to people who could very easily have been professors at universities. We shared basically everything. The years out there were the most productive years in one's life, we were able to read, we read all the material that came our way, we took an interest in the lives of people even in the remotest corners of this world. To me those years gave meaning to life. The hon Deputy President helped turn the lemon - which was the harsh conditions of Robben Island - into the lemonade of political education and intellectual development. He was instrumental in ensuring that newcomers, especially the youth who came to Robben Island, were welcomed and put through an appropriate political education and other academic development programmes. It is therefore unsurprising, and true to the character of the man, that he would say the years of incarceration and isolation were the most productive ones in his life.
He was released in 1987, and in 1992 he was elected Secretary-General of the National Union of Mineworkers, as somebody has already pointed out. During his tenure NUM established, among others, the JB Marks Education Trust Fund, which provided bursaries to mineworkers and their dependants, and the residential trade union school called the Elijah Barayi Memorial Training Centre located in Yeoville in Johannesburg.
Comrade Kgalema was elected unopposed as Secretary-General of the ANC in 1997, and was re-elected in 2002. In 2007 he was elected ANC Deputy President. In 2008 he was sworn in as South Africa's third democratically elected President. What you do not know, Comrade Kgalema, is that the late Comrade Walter Sisulu had always wanted you to be the President of this country. [Applause.] When you became the President, I am sure his dreams were fulfilled. In 2009 Comrade Kgalema was sworn in as Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa.
The hon Deputy President has always epitomised the values of the ANC in discharging the mandate which the ANC gave him. He is a humble servant of the people - as most people have already pointed out - who is prepared to go anywhere and to undertake any task that the ANC asks him to perform.
As a parliamentarian, he has led by example - many people have already said that. You have led by example, always keeping calm, ready to engage all and to clarify whatever matter needed clarity.
Hon Deputy President, it has indeed been an honour to serve alongside a comrade so firm in principle as you have always been, and as you continue to be. You have displayed courage even in the midst of adversity. And, where many vacillated and zigzagged, you were as true to principle as a compass needle is to the north!
What is of comfort, though, is that your determination to serve our glorious organisation, the ANC, and our beloved country, the Republic of South Africa, will always keep you close by to serve whenever it is necessary. We cannot forget your wisdom in intervening in the mining sector. Your leadership in ensuring that South African men become more involved with their families and carry more responsibilities in relation to their dependants will also always be part of our history.
Your counsel to members of the ANC in particular, and members of Parliament in general, will be part of the guiding principles that will ground the people as an anchor in any storm, and hence their tribute.
Ka mantswe ao sebata se seholo sa ha Motlanthe, ke re, tselatshweu! Disakopaneng ke dithaba, tau ya kgale. Amandla! [With those words, Mr Motlanthe, I say, "Go well! We will meet again, old friend. Power!"]
HON MEMBERS: Ngawethu! [Is ours!]